This is where we begin to realize there is much more to what we are trying to do than we first understood, and we begin to grasp the scope of what we don't know, but need to learn. In addition to creating an opening for learning, this stage sometimes leads to feeling overwhelmed by what seems like too much information to grasp and master. It's an important progression in the learning process, but still not a place from which we can perform independently.

Here is where we have learned and practiced enough to successfully perform a task with an acceptable degree of quality and independence. However, the focus and attention it requires has the price of performing somewhat slower than a more skilled person. That extra attention also creates added performance risk from distractions and deadline pressure. For example, if staff in this stage lose their focus, their performance will generally suffer.